


Rising Water and Lost Gods

by Vaimeta



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anxiety, Based on an Artwork, Body Horror, Gen, I dont know how to tag, Illustrations, Short Story, except its minor and a forest deity so take that as you will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 03:13:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18908368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vaimeta/pseuds/Vaimeta
Summary: “The water will only rise if you let it.”A short story about a curse and how we deal with our problems





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the two people who asked me for a story behind an artwork which had no real meaning

The floorboards rippled and rose, becoming clear as they crept up the bed frame. The water reached the mattress, seeping into the material even as it rose higher to the sleeping body lying on top of it. Trickling over the bed, the water rose, past her legs, her arms, her chest, soaking the pillow her head rested on. She shifted slightly in sleep, mouth parted as she took in deep breaths, undisturbed by the rising water. Glittering in the dim light of the moon, the water climbed up her face, crawling into her mouth and nose. Only then did she wake, spluttering and coughing, unable to breathe as the water rose higher and higher, cutting off access to air and filling her lungs. She panicked, struggling to swim or move from the bed, to find some pocket where she could breathe. But her limbs were useless, sleep-heavy and starved of oxygen. She couldn’t help it when she opened her mouth to try and breathe, only to have more water fill her lungs. She was drowning and there was nothing she could do.

-

Caitlyn woke up, gasping as she rose from the mattress. Her foot rested on the floor where it must have fallen in the night, submerged in no more than a couple of centimetres of water. She rubbed her eyes and steadied her breathing; this was not the first time an arm or leg had drifted of the bed and onto the floor, prompting nightmares of drowning. Sometimes the nightmares occurred of their own will. 

“The water will only rise if you let it.” She muttered to herself, repeating the mantra she had adopted so many years ago. 

The world still hung in the grey twilight of predawn, and Caitlyn rose to greet it, as there would be no going to sleep after a night spent dreaming of drowning. Blades of grass were still heavy with dew, and birds still just beginning to stir as she shrugged on simple flower-patterned summer dress and left the house. Picking her way through the various vegetable patches, herb pots and flower beds that comprised the backyard, she looked for any signs of wilting (she was, of course, a walking source of water, and was expected to use that to the garden’s advantage) or yellowing leaves that could signify the approach of autumn. While autumn was at least a month away, Caitlyn loved the cold weather and always looked for it. After tending to a few wilted pots of herbs, she hopped over the short stone wall that encompassed the garden and made her way into the forest that loomed over the house and surrounding lands. 

For as long as anyone could remember, the forest had been filled with monsters and sprites, ancient gods wandering amongst the trees and gradually forgetting themselves, and creatures twisted by old curses. For those reasons, many stayed away from the twisted oaks and gnarled elms, afraid of the hidden eyes constantly watching. It was one of the few places Caitlyn felt completely at peace. While the ground might ripple and shift under her feet, water rising in floating puddles wherever she walked, there was not a soul amongst the trees that would look at her with fear or pity. 

She had been cursed from a young age, irrevocably and for no discernible reason, to have water follow her. It did not affect anyone else, only plants and objects, but they could all see the rippling water that could rise at any time around her. Her mother had cried, worried that at any point Caitlyn would drown and there would be nothing she could do about it. 

Her brother had been more critically minded, and had discovered that the worse she was feeling - the greater stress, anxiety, anger, anything negative - the higher the water would rise. Knowing this, they had made sure to keep her happy and healthy until she was old enough to control her emotions well enough that she would not risk drowning herself. But keeping herself positive had its own tax, which in turn had to be ignored so the water could be kept at bay; an undercurrent of negativity threatened to carry her away, so in her desperation she bottled it up, hoping that the water following her would not notice the current’s unrelenting flow and chose to rise.

Under the trees, in the grey predawn, Caitlyn could forget all this. She could look at all the plants and trees, watch the animals, and let the forest sounds wash over her and black out her daily problems. Here, the water only ever rose to her ankles, splashing lightly but not constricting her aimless wandering.  
Caitlyn began a tuneless whistle, brushing her hands against the rough bark of passing trees. She had just begun to whistle to an old drinking song when a series of cracks echoed through the trees. Her whistling stopped, and the water snuck up to her calves. She was about to take another step and dismiss the sound, when a mottled black wolf ran out from the underbrush, darting between the trees in loping strides. Its fur was wild and tangled, and its golden eyes wide and searching. Two more wolves sprang out from behind it, snarling and wild. Caitlyn shrunk back against the tree as the first wolf tore past her in a maddened rush, but froze when the underbrush parted for the stag. The two wolves continued past her, fleeing, but the stag slowed as it approached her. The water rose to just past her knees as the stag stopped and turned its antlered head towards her. 

At least twice the height of a regular elk, the stag had to lower its neck in order to not tower above Caitlyn. But the most disturbing detail of the elk was not its size, but its empty eye sockets. Darkness curled in depths protected by bone rims, which were in turn covered by the brown fur of the elk’s head. Caitlyn tried taking deep breaths to steady herself, to ready herself to run, but like in her dreams of drowning, she could not move.

The elk let out a snort, and shook its head. “A little early to be traversing these bewitched meadows is it not? You could run into any sort of ill-mannered creature if you stray here before the sun has fully risen.”

Caitlyn blinked as the elk shook itself once more. The water had frozen at her thighs, as terror was overtaken by confusion and a great deal of curiosity.  
The elk took those empty sockets away from her, and began walking in the direction the wolves had run. Caitlyn let in a sharp breath as it passed her, as past its shoulders the elk had only bone; its rib cage filled with a number of plants that twisted and climbed in their confines. A gentle glow illuminated the plants from within, even as the plants hid the light source itself. With very little noise, the elk trotted off into the forest, bone hind legs moving easily despite the lack of muscle or ligaments; it was in that manner that it continued its chase of the wolves, disappearing into the trees once more.

The sun was rising by the time Caitlyn made it back home. The strange encounter had left her questioning exactly what she had met; a creature like that could easily pass for a powerful nature spirit, or perhaps a long forgotten god. Or maybe like her, it had once been cursed, although the extent of its curse would have to be much more severe. Hopping back over the garden wall, she made her way to the kitchen and began making breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What up i’m vai, i’m 19, and I never learned how to fuckin read  
> I don’t write often and usually have no idea what I’m doing when I do, so if you see any mistakes please let me know! My writing style is also something I like to call ‘stupid amounts of purposeless description with some awkward dialogue, all with way too many commas’ so if you have any constructive criticism I will accept it with these gremlin hands of mine  
> That’s it!! That’s the notes!! have fun reading the rest of this mess!!


	2. Dawn to Day

“You need to stop boiling eggs for so long.”

Caitlyn looked up from her toast to see Alex making faces at his breakfast. Although he was older than her by several years, his freckles and dimples, emphasised by his willingness to pull faces and laugh at every opportunity, made him seem much younger. 

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way I cook eggs.” 

“They’re not runny inside, it doesn’t taste as good when they’re not runny.” Alex made a point to look sad and horrified by his lack of soft-boiled egg, and Caitlyn rolled her eyes. 

“I make hard boiled eggs, they’re not meant to be runny,” she cracked open her own egg, slicing it and arranging it on her toast, “if you want soft boiled eggs, wake up early and boil them yourself.”

Alex huffed and pouted, but when back to eating his breakfast. “You wake up too early for me to even attempt waking up before you.” Alex continued talking with his mouth full, “See anything cool out there this morning? Or did you forego waking up before the sun to sleep like a decent human being?”

Caitlyn hesitated, picking up her empty plate and taking it to the sink. “Well, I woke up a bit earlier than usual, so I did go out.” She didn’t mention the nightmare.   
Alex liked to pull faces and act optimistic, but some days she felt that he was hiding all of his problems so the water wouldn’t rise; a habit continued from when she couldn’t control her own feelings. Hiding her problems was the least she could do in return. “As usual, there was just a bunch of trees and bushes, and I think I met a god, perhaps an ancient forest spirit? Not that eventful.”

Alex got out of his chair and walked up to her. He leant down to look directly into her eyes. “A god?”

“Yep.”

“You’re not pulling my leg again?”

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It even talked about how I shouldn’t be in the forest before dawn, just like you and mum keep insisting.” Caitlyn watched as Alex tried to decipher if she was joking or not. She had convinced him to go into the forest to glimpse a dragon that supposedly lived there. Twice. While the forest didn’t worry her, Alex was still reluctant to go more than a few paces in, so after a neighbour had told him dragons only live near mountains he had been quite annoyed at being tricked.  
Alex remained quiet and contemplating as she put away the dishes, and as he washed them. The sun was filtering through the kitchen window, casting a golden light and soft shadows, filling the small room with warmth. Distant clattering from the back of the house told her that her mum was awake and had migrated to the back yard. 

“So, why’d you figure it was a god?” Alex’s question cut through the ambient sounds of a quiet morning, and Caitlyn turned to see him finishing up the morning dishes. 

Caitlyn shrugged, “I’m not sure. It was only an elk twice the size of a normal one. Plus it was missing half of its body, just bone past the shoulders, and empty eye sockets. I could have imagined the speaking part. Maybe it was actually a friendly badger?” She finished with a wave of her hand.

Alex snorted and grabbed a basket from under the sink. “You know, I don’t know what’s more unlikely: you meeting some deer god or you meeting a friendly badger.” He smiled, and Caitlyn laughed. Life could be tough, but surrounded by the right people, it was far better to laugh at the pressure than to crumble underneath it. Even if crumbling would be so much easier.

The water crept up from the rough floorboards at the thought, a shallow puddle rather than the ripples it had been moments ago. Caitlyn quickly pushed down the thought, and the water faded to ripples again before Alex could notice. 

“I’ll go get mum if you want to grab a couple of canvas bags, then we can head down to the markets.” Caitlyn nodded as Alex left the room, then rubbed her eyes. Pre-dawn rising took its toll, and she had forgotten about going to the markets today. She had gotten used to glances at her feet, and pity filled eyes; they had gotten used to the rising and falling water that surrounded her. Still, she would prefer to be in the forest rather than amongst people, even if it was filled with the unknown and unexplainable. 

-

20 minutes later, the basket was filled with new seedlings for the garden, and the canvas bags were filled with whatever produce they couldn’t grow themselves, or odds and ends that they needed for around the house. Caitlyn watched her mother’s braid swing back and forth slightly with each step. Today she had threaded a blue ribbon to offset the slight orange hints in her otherwise brown hair. Even though it was still early, the market was bustling, people trying to get the best deals while spending as little as possible. The water drifted comfortably around Caitlyn’s ankles, swaying back and forth slightly as she walked, swaying like her mum’s braid. Fresh bread, warm coffee and damp earthy smells surrounded them, and Caitlyn breathed them all in, but avoided looking for the sources. It was easier to just avoid people, which avoided questions, which made her avoid questioning herself. She laughed quietly at the stupidity of it all.

“Now what are you laughing at back there?” Her mum turned around to look at her, raising an eyebrow and almost tripping over a group of kids running between stalls. Helen, as others knew her, was tall with perfect posture and a warm smile. She had light crow’s feet around her eyes, which could be from either smiling or sorrow. Not many people knew they originated from both. Helen had raised two children, mostly on her own, and endured years of pity and questioning about her unfortunate cursed girl. She was strong yet so fragile, and Caitlyn felt a shift in the level of water and quickly re-focused on the comfortably warm day it was becoming. 

Caitlyn held out her bags of groceries. “This place is so weird. I wake up early, go for a walk and saw some ancient horror deer with good manners, but now the sun’s up and I’m shopping with my family at the local markets. We bought a new set of mugs. There are literal gods relaxing under some trees only a couple of kilometres away.”

“I thought you said you liked it here?”

“Mum, I love it, but sometimes the realisation of the contrast between areas just hits you.”

Helen smiled, a familiar amused and comforting expression. “So long as that realisation doesn’t make you drop those new mugs, it’s fine with me.” Adjusting the basket of seedlings in her arms, she turned towards the market exit. “Let’s find your brother and get out of here, I’ve had enough of people for now.”

As they reached the edge of the markets, families dressed in all manners of colours and clothing wandering through the entry or leaving early, Alex detached himself from the edge of a stall, saying his goodbyes to the trio of weavers hoping to sell their wares. He smiled as he approached, but the slight bounce to his step was gone, and his blue eyes seemed fractured and empty. Helen quickened her steps to meet him, but both continued to act as though the day was proceeding as usual, as if nothing was wrong. Caitlyn gripped the canvas bags tighter. 

There was a red tail hawk circling overhead. The smells of the local bakery still drifted through the market. The water will only rise if you let it.   
But even as she tried to distract herself, worry crept into the back of her mind. 

“Chatting up the weavers I see, but aren’t they a little old for you?” Helen held Alex’s shoulder, playing the role of the concerned mother. “Now, you know I support you son, but I believe that none of those fine women would be below forty…Perhaps try for someone a little younger first.”

Alex smiled and laughed as he accepted the jibe, but the sound was hollow. They traded chatter, and Caitlyn smiled where appropriate, but Alex’s eyes stayed cast down, and the water slowly rose higher. The conversation was light, and the day was settling into a warm midday; grasses swayed in a gentle breeze by the side of the road, and cicadas sang in the noon heat. 

'They do this for you. Something’s wrong. You can’t know, they won’t, can’t tell you.' 

Caitlyn laughed at a comment Alex had made, trying to block out her thoughts. 

'It’s because you’re broken, cursed. They look happy, but are they really? How long can you keep the water down like this? The dreams have been getting worse. Can’t tell them though. They don’t need to know. They can’t know. Think of something else.' 

“What’re you thinking of back there?” Helen questioned, opening a space on the path between her and Alex. Caitlyn filled another bottle of negativity, and threw it as far away from her as possible.

“You know, being out for so long, I think I might be getting a sunburn.”

“Well, we better hurry up and get home then.”

Caitlyn returned her mother’s fake smile.


	3. Day to Dusk

Whispers traveled further through the thin walls than her mother or Alex knew. Caitlyn sat on the floor of her bedroom, head pressed against the wall. Even after getting home, Alex had seemed withdrawn, and after planting the seedlings and organising the new purchases, Caitlyn had a quick dinner and said she was going to bed early. 

Her breathing sent shallow ripples across the surface of the water, sending the light reflections on her walls into a flurry. Sitting as she was, the water lapped gently around her chest, cool against her skin.

“…said that people said that we were all probably cursed. So she just told me to leave, wouldn’t even talk to me really. I think her granddad might be the one telling her lies, but how am I meant to speak against him? It’s my word against his, but his words are better and, well…”

“And Caitlyn’s a little bit cursed. Don’t worry, I’ll sort him out tomorrow, he’s just-”

“Mum you can’t. If Nat doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, it’s fine. It’s happened before. You don’t have to do anything.”

There was a heavy silence. Caitlyn held her breath, afraid that the sound of her breathing or the gentle ripple of water might drift through the walls and alert either her mum or Alex. It was only when the chair scraped against the wooden floor that Caitlyn understood the reality of the situation. Her mother was out there, comforting her brother, because she was broken. Nat had been a friend of Alex’s, tall, freckled and friendly. The water turned icy as it crawled up to her shoulders, pressure building around her.

Caitlyn stood, the water level back to her knees with the new position, but it was steadily rising. She tried to think about how nice the morning had been, but the sun was gone, replaced with the pale glow of the moon and reminding her of the harsh reality of the moment. Holding her breath, Caitlyn steeled herself to walk out into the dining room, when something soft and damp brushed against her leg. Underneath the surface of the water, rising from the floorboards, was a patch of seaweed. It swayed gently with the motion of the water, oblivious to its impossibility. Taking hurried steps backwards, Caitlyn pulled the water away from the small plant; as the water disappeared from around it, the seaweed shrank back into the floorboards. Caitlyn covered her face with shaking hands, and tried to ignore the gentle ebb and flow of the water at her hips. 

“The water will only rise if you let it.” The words felt weak as she whispered them, but she held onto them like a lifeline. “The water will only rise if you let it, everything is fine.” 

The bed frame groaned as she sat down, dampening the sheets with her soaked dress. Clear and menacing, the water glimmered at her ankles. She changed out of her dress to avoid soaking the mattress, pulling on pajamas and letting the night whisk her away from the shifting floor beneath her.


	4. Dusk to Dawn

The wolves ran through the clearing, only this time they did not pass by her, instead slowing and turning back to her. The trees were too far away to reach for cover and there was nothing on the grassy floor of the clearing to use as defence.

She watched them circle her, slowly getting nearer until their hot breaths surrounded her. The mottled black wolf stood before her, eyes of molten gold judging her every flaw and scrutinizing her every worth. The gold drew her in like a moth to a flame.

“They must care an awful lot for you.” The words came out ragged, snagging on the wolf’s teeth, their mouth unsuited to form words at all.

“They do.” Her voice was flat and devoid of emotion; she had no worries here, but no hopes either.

“But you bring us so much trouble.” The wolf on her left whispered, grey muzzle close to her ear.

The wolf on her right joined the left, “You should hide it better. Nothing can be hidden in a clearing, what are you doing here.” Their brown shoulder brushed against her arm as they drew closer.

“Dig yourself deeper into the earth, travel further into the forest-”

“-Let the water drag you under.”

The two wolves whispered into her ears, all the while the black one stood before her, a silent judge to all proceedings.

“It would be so much easier to crumble. It would be so much easier to drown.” The wolves’ humid breath held her on both sides and they finished in unison. It changed from hot to cool, then freezing. The black wolf blinked, releasing her from its gaze, and left without a sound. Freed from her paralysis, she looked for the other two, but they had disappeared as well. Only the cloud of frozen breath stayed, surrounding her until the chill felt like it was settling into her bones. The clearing was dark and empty once more, but there was a weight to the stillness that was more unnerving than the wolves’ presence.

-

Deep, watery coughs racked Caitlyn’s body, trying to expel the water that had run down her throat. She sat up, only to find her bed completely submerged in crystalline water. She was left gasping for air as her mum raced into her room. Her face was a mask of terror at the sight of the water level.

“Caitlyn! Caitlyn are you alright? Oh god, oh god, Caitlyn. Caitlyn? Caitlyn!” She ran over to the bed, unaffected by the water as she held Caitlyn.

Just as Caitlyn opened her mouth to speak, Alex rushed in, eyes wide.

'You couldn’t hide it from them. You failed.'

“I’m sorry,” She whispered, “I’m fine, I can make it go away. I just had a bad dream.”

Helen stood up fixing a too-happy expression on her face. “Well, that’s alright then. We’ll just, uh, just change these sheets, and the mattress, and, and then well hopefully you can have some nice dreams then.” Her voice wobbled, cracking up as she tried to figure out what to do. Alex still had a look of astonished horror on his face, frozen at the doorway.

“Alex, could you, um, please help me get some fresh sheets.” Helen walked to Alex, placing a hand on his arm. “Please, Alex.” With one last glance at Caitlyn, they left the room.

Caitlyn didn’t have to press her ear to the wall to know her mum was crying. She could feel all the bottles she had so carefully filled and thrown away drifting back to her, a glass filled current that threatened to engulf her.

'Enough.'

Standing on an algae covered floor, Caitlyn walked to her wardrobe, and grabbed a loose green summer dress. The bottom of it was almost instantly soaked by the drifting current, so she told herself not to feel and to let the water level lower. When the algae disappeared from the floor, and the water rose no higher than her calves, she left the room.

Alex was digging through the linen closet, while Helen had her head in her hands. Both looked up at her as she walked down the hall towards the backyard.  
“I need to go for a walk.” Flat, emotionless, just as her voice had been in her dream.

“But it’s night, it’s not even that safe to go out there during the day!” Alex, for once, wasn’t trying to mask his concern at all. It made her smile.

“I promise I’ll come back, but I need to go for a walk. I don’t know how long I’ll be out for, but please,” She looked at both of them, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I am fine. I’ll see you soon.”

Without waiting for a reply, she left the house, jumped the back wall, and walked into the cool embrace of the trees.

The water plants began grabbing at her legs as they grew, impeding but not necessarily malicious. So Caitlyn ran, taking the water away from the plants before they could grow. Trees passed by her, and nocturnal life watched from the undergrowth. The current was faster than her legs could ever be, a wave unseen by onlookers but looming before her. As she stumbled and wove through the vast sea of trees, bottles broke and added their contents to the water that threatened to drown her. She ran, then walked, and continued walking for hours. The water swelled, holding her tightly as it climbed to her chest. She had promised them she would return, but she didn’t want to return like this. Dawn was breaking through the trees, streaks of sunlight illuminating the great oak trees, when she finally stopped. Breaking the ground underneath her, twin water lilies rose through the water surrounding her.

“The water will only rise if you let it.” The words were almost a sob, as that vital lifeline revealed how frayed and weak it really was. Her legs shook, and she obeyed their wishes and knelt onto the ground. Instead of maintaining its level like usual, the water level lowered while pond it had become widened. The water lilies bloomed, perfectly white in the morning sun, as their stems broke off from the ground and tied themselves together. They were beautiful, flawless, and completely impossible.

Caitlyn was barely aware of the first tear as it fell, but as the second and third followed it she could no longer ignore the emotions she had bottled up for so long, nor the curse that could drown her at any moment.

“The water will only rise if you let it.” She whispered the words and watched her dress swirl and shift in the calm, glassy waters. It was only as she grabbed her dress that she realised she was no longer alone.

Its great antlers scrapped the lower branches of the trees, some parts of them blending as the antlers had begun to grow bark and leaves themselves. Small lights, held by rope netting, swayed from the prongs of its antlers, glowing faintly as if to rival the coming brightness of the dawn. Great hooves moving near silent on the forest floor, the elk stopped before her, watching with those gaping, empty eyes.

“I have told you before that this forest is not safe in the morning twilight, when creatures of the night still roam.” It titled its great head, mist surrounding its nose and face as it breathed with non-existent lungs. “Tell me, why do you cry?”

Caitlyn kept her eyes down, avoiding the gaze of darkness surrounded by bone. “I don’t know any more. I lost control, and now I don’t know how I can fix this.” She gestured to the pond surrounding her, to the water lilies so delicate and pretty, to the rippling forest floor around her.

“‘The water will only rise if you let it’ is a lie,” The elk lowered itself to its knees, lowering its head so it could be eye level with her, “The water will rise regardless of your wishes. Whether it be from storm, flood, meltwater or the great tides, it will rise. But it is also in its nature to fall.” The sun rose higher, turning the elk’s bones to ivory and sending the water into a sparkling flurry. Caitlyn’s tears stopped falling, and she looked into the face of the ancient cursed elk.

It continued, “You will feel crushed, overwhelmed, and restricted by its weight, but it is also possible to float and let it carry you forward. Do not let it drag you under, do not let it embrace you with cold crushing arms. You cannot achieve this by ignoring the water’s call. It is a siren song to drag you down, and it only becomes stronger the longer you ignore it. We are not our flaws, nor our curses, so do not live as if you were. I have forgotten myself here in the trees, I have let myself be lost to the ocean of elm and oak.” It dipped its head, chin almost to the forest floor and nose gently resting against the ripping pond. “We are not our flaws.”

Caitlyn sat there for a long moment. The sun warmed her shoulders, and the elk watched silently.

“Thank you.” Taking deep breaths, lighter and more filling than they had been in months, Caitlyn looked into the empty sockets of the elk’s eyes. “This wasn’t ever going to get better, was it?”

Rising from its knees, the elk stood and watched the rays of light dance between the trees. “I don’t think that’s quite true either. It could not get better in the way you were attempting, by wishing and doing nothing. But you can listen to yourself and remember that while the water may be a part of you, it does not define who you are. Find contentment in existing.”

The pond around Caitlyn swelled, then retreated back to the forest floor. One single lily remained, floating in the turquoise puddle that surrounded her. She stood, still dwarfed by the ancient being in front of her, and with legs no longer shaking she began the walk home.


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

The elk accompanied her as she made her way home, an old and steady presence that now brought her comfort. Birds flew between treetops, occasionally landing on its antlers before realising that the branch it had perched on was separate from any tree. They spoke little, but Caitlyn didn’t feel the need to talk. She was still trying to process what she was feeling, although the water stayed at her calves for the entire journey. 

By the time she reached the small backyard wall, the sun had truly risen and brought about a golden summer morning. 

“I guess I’ll see you later then.” Caitlyn didn’t want to see the elk go, but it belonged to the sea of trees and undergrowth. 

“Until we meet again.” The elk lowered its head in a bow, before turning and disappearing once again into the twisted wood.

-

When her mother saw her, she erupted into tears and hugged her until Caitlyn was sure her ribs would never recover. Then it was Alex’s turn, and he refused to let go until she told him he was ensuring that her ribs would definitely break under the combined force of his and Helen’s hugs. After they had agreed to stop crushing her, and her mother had found a handkerchief, the three of them settled onto the couch and talked. About the water, the curse, Nat, the new seedlings, the cicadas beginning their daily chorus, and the old cursed elk who held solemn advice behind empty sockets. By midday, with the sun forming a golden frame around them as it shone through the window, they lay asleep on the couch, a singular lily resting forgotten on a gently rippling floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take it easy, but take it  
> Look after yourself and find something that makes you happy  
> Enjoy the things that make you happy without shame  
> Live the best life you can, you’re allowed to

**Author's Note:**

> What up i’m vai, i’m 19, and I never learned how to fuckin read  
> I don’t write often and usually have no idea what I’m doing when I do, so if you see any mistakes please let me know! My writing style is also something I like to call ‘stupid amounts of purposeless description with some awkward dialogue, all with way too many commas’ so if you have any constructive criticism I will accept it with these gremlin hands of mine  
> That’s it!! That’s the notes!! have fun reading the rest of this mess!!


End file.
